Thank the heavens I watched Candle in the Tomb before this mess of a show. If this had been my gateway into the tomb raider cdramas, I'd have given up before finishing. There are so many things wrong with this series, I don't even know where to begin. I had heard before jumping in that this was a) based on a novel that started out initially as a Candle in the Tomb fanfiction, then morphed into its own thing and b) that this entry in the series is far and away worse than its sequels. I still wasn't prepared for just how bad it would be.

Let's start with the plot. It moves way too quickly, cramming far too much into its 10 episodes than it should have. Half of the cast has what I can only describe as super powers, and basically everyone knows kung fu. The plot itself is incomprehensible, and the background histories are convoluted at best. I still can't tell if this was meant to be a serious show, because it is so chock-full of half-witted numb-skullery at every turn.

Then there's the cast, of which none of them know what they're supposed to be doing. Wu Xie at one point starts falling to what he could only assume would be his doom, but shows absolutely zero emotion in his face as he does so. That's pretty much how this whole thing played out. Everyone is non-committal to their roles because it's anyone's guess as to how the tone of the show is supposed to be conveyed. This is due to some very poor direction, from a director who probably wished they were working on some sort of super sentai clone instead.

The visual effects are laughably bad. The set pieces rarely more than green screen backgrounds or really cheap looking plastic obstacles. The music rarely if ever fits (except of course in those moments of loathsome slapstick humor), and the dialogue meanders many times without ever getting to the point.

This is a bad show. There's no other way around it. When you read reviews telling you to skip it, you should listen to them. I sure as heck wish I had.